


vowels.

by gobokdong



Series: better together [2]
Category: GOT7, JJ Project
Genre: M/M, Slice of Life, childhood friends au ?, growing up au ?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 09:17:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14329308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gobokdong/pseuds/gobokdong
Summary: jaebum was always one step ahead of jinyoung. always a bit more mature than jinyoung at every turn during their youth.a jjp au where jinyoung and jaebum grow up together.





	vowels.

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this is jas again! this is sort of a prequel to my last one shot loving is easy but you don't have to read that fic before this one! this is going to be a part of a collection of short stories set in the same universe!
> 
> as always you can find me at my [twitter](https://twitter.com/defspeach%20rel=)
> 
> feedback is always appericated and thank you for reading

there’s a crash - the sound of something metal meeting the hardwood floor causing jaebum to tear his eyes from the book he was reading. the imagery of warlocks and magic spells dissipating as the screams from his younger brother and his playmate filled his ears. jaechan charges into the living room - a spatula in his chubby hand, squealing as he runs from whatever imagery threat that he and his friend thought of. 

his brother seems to finally realize that jaebum is also in the living room, his eyes seem to glint as the possibility of a new detail to add to whatever wacky adventure that was currently being played. jaechan pauses for a moment - his face breaking into a mischievous grin before screaming once more.

“ jin! jin ! mayday mayday!” the english words a bit foreign to the five year old’s tongue - but that doesn’t stop jaechan from continuing.” there’s a pirate here ! help we gotta defeat him!” 

now jaebum knew for a fact that his brother was trying to rope him into playing the bad guy in this scenario and jaebum being the mature age of eight wasn’t going to be roped into this - nope he had more important things to do such as finishing the book in his hand.

he isn’t given a chance to deny his little brother instead he’s jostled forward. his brother’s playmate - the neighbour’s young son jinyoung tackling him and landing on jaebum’s back. causing his knees bumping against the cold floor as he forced to kneel, his fingers gripping the legs of jinyoung to ensure the young boy didn’t fall onto the floor. but jinyoung doesn’t seem to mind, the younger’s joyfully squealing at catching jaebum off guard. “ i caught the pirate, chan! thanks for distracting him, you’re a real hero”, jinyoung cheered - ignoring jaebum’s grunt of discomfort at the younger’s scrawny arms practically putting him in a chokehold. 

“You shouldn’t tackle peopl-” his words are drowned out as the two boys began to celebrate at their success, jinyoung becoming impatient and begins to squirm in jaebum’s hold, kicking the older male in the process before jaebum releases jinyoung. an exasperated sigh leaves the oldest boy lips, out of a character for a boy who’s eight years old but jaebum’s always been deemed a little mature for his age, always a stick in the mud.

the younger boys seem to have lost interest with jaebum and instead run to the next room, and while jaebum wants to ignore whatever mischief the two were going to get into, he couldn’t in good conscience just let them roam free.

“jaechan! jinyoung, come on guys, you shouldn’t just run around the house like that - one of you might get hurt!” jaebum yells, as he begins to follow the two boys into the next room. jaechan once again screams as he notices his older brother approaching them and speeds off.” you’ll never catch us hyung!”

jinyoung follows jaechan with a high pitched scream of his own - scampering off before jaebum could catch up to him. the two boys disappear to the next room and jaebum finds himself tempted to go back to his book until he hears a sob.

his big brother instincts have his feet walking towards the kitchen and grabbing a first aid kit with another heavy sigh. 

“ hyung! jaebum hyung!” jaechan screeched, “ jin tripped! hurry up ! hurry up !” a sense of panic evident in the five year old’s voice.

“ i’m coming! calm down jaechan, it’s not like you’re hurt.” jaebum grumbles before he steps into the room, a frown on his lips as he zeroed in on jinyoung who was clutching his knee with streams of tears falling onto his chubby cheeks.

he kneels in front of the younger boy, a concern expression growing on his face as he examines the scrap. “ hey jinyoung, i can’t help you if i can’t see your scratch.” jaebum explains, as he gently pushes aside jinyoung’s fingers from his knee.

“ it’s not too bad.” jaebum muses as pulls out bandages from the first aid kit, “ we just need to clean it and then we can pick a cool band aid. “ his words are gentle and sweet yet a poor imitation of what jaebum has heard from his mother when he had gotten hurt. 

jinyoung remains silent beside the soft sobs escaping his lips as he gazes down at his knee, “ will it hurt to clean it ?”

it’s a silly question. one that jaebum himself have asked various times when his mother would clean his own cuts and one his younger siblings had asked him so many times before, a weak smile appears on his lips before he shakes his head. “ yeah, but sometimes you gotta hurt before it gets better.” 

jinyoung’s cheeks turn a bright red before he scrunches his nose as jaebum begins to rub the cotton swab against the cut. “ hyung.”

“ what ?”

“ your face is really ugly up close.”

______________

jaebum doesn’t like his grandparents’ home. it was too stuffy and the faint stench of tiger balm was evident in all areas of the house. but his mother had told him that he had to keep strong in front of his younger brother because if they found out he was uncomfortable at their grandparents house then he would throw an even bigger fit than the one they gave with their mother had dropped them off few days prior.

but worry not! his mother had told him she would be back to get them in five days time, therefore jaebum had packed up his things ( along with his siblings’ bags), and waited patiently for his mother to pick them up.

his grandparents are antsy - avoiding his eyes and skittish for some reason. they’ve been like this for the whole trip and jaebum can’t help become rather curious about the whole ordeal -he was beginning to wonder what the adults were hiding from him.

it was obvious to the young boy, a rather sick feeling in his stomach as he watched his grandparents clean up the home as they waited for his mother to arrive home.

his father was probably busy after all, he’s been working overtime for the last few weeks. and jaebum was getting more used to the sight of his father’s retreating back  
. ______________

his mother comes to pick them up when the giant grandfather clock in the living room strikes four, her timid knock causing jaebum to run towards the door, his heart soaring at the idea of seeing his mother after almost a week. he ignores his grandmother’s scolding and he wrenches open the door - and reveals his mother looking pensive and unsure.

jaebum can’t help but stumble back as he takes in his mother’s appearance, his mother was always a thin woman, but tonight his mother looks gaunt and fragile as if one swift gush of wind would cause his mother to break in half, it’s daunting and jaebum isn’t quick enough to hide the look of shock that comes over his face. his mother, however, is too distracted to catch it or perhaps she’s too tired to show her feeling, and instead, she smiles at jaebum and calls him out, causing the boy to clamber to hug his mother before his brother comes and take her attention away from him.

______________

 

it’s a surprise to jaebum when he finds his father’s car parked in the driveway - and there’s a small part of jaebum’s heart that soars at the thought of seeing his father before his bedtime. and he finds himself running towards the door - hoping to see his father’s broad shoulders and sturdy hugs waiting from him as he opens the front door.

instead, jaebum is welcomed by an empty home, dark until his mother follows through and turns the light on without a word.

he can’t hide his disappointment as he helps jaechan unpack their overnight bags.  
______________

his mother calls him out to him as she finishes dinner - ushering him instead of the kitchen and orders him to began to set the table, her calloused hands running through his hair before she gestures him to begin. 

and as jaebum takes out the bowls - his mother stops him, her lips pursed as she spoke.

“jaebum-yah, we only need four bowls from now on alright? now go set it on the table.”

the boy frowns, confusion appearing on his young face as his eyes shift to the plastic clock placed on their kitchen wall. it was almost 6:30, and they would usually set their father’s placemat along with their own just in case he made it home before then.

“ but dad might come home, did he call you saying he was gonna be home late again ?” his nose scrunched as glanced down at the bowls in his hand.

his mother who had been quiet for most of the night seems to tense, her kind eyes becoming somewhat cold, her fingers gripping the dish rag with much more than needed strength. 

“ your father isn’t going to be home for awhile jaebum-yah.”

“ what do you mean by that ?” he knows it’s rude, but jaebum presses on - curiosity taking over any manners he usually possesses.

there’s sudden tears growing in his mother’s eyes, her hand covering her lips as a short sob escape her lips as she turns away from jaebum. unable to control herself as she drops onto the kitchen floor.

what exactly had his father done?

but that would have to wait because right now he needed to take care of his mother. 

the boy strides towards his mother, kneeling down to wipe the tears away from his mother’s eyes, and a soft smile appearing on jaebum’s face as he spoke, “ mom you can tell me, it’s okay, i’ll help you take care of it.”  
______________

 

_to the parent of im jaebum_

 

_jaebum is adjusting well to the fourth-grade curriculum, he is demonstrating strength in the subjects of reading and writing – as well as working well with his fellow peers and respecting his teachers  
though he’s demonstrating strengths in his various school subjects, since the loss of his father, jaebum has become unusually quiet during break times and spends his time at his desk alone. If this behavior continues we would like to set up an appointment to discuss further –_

______________

 

“ chan, where’s your brother ? “ jinyoung questions, tapping his pencil against the table as the two fifth graders went over their summer homework. “ isn’t he suppose to come home from camp soon ?” his voice becoming flat as jinyoung tried to hide the excitement in his voice.

“ ah, yeah. my mom went to go pick up him up from the bus stop. “ chan answered, sighing as he glanced up at the ceiling. “ he sounds so stupid. his voice cracked at his nerd camp, so when he called us i couldn’t stop laughing. “

“ ugh - his voice is so annoying as it is. i can’t image how it could get worse.” jinyoung mutters, before glancing at his best friend. “ did your mom buy anymore of those chips from the other day ?”

“ yeah but they’re in the upper cabinet so you might need a chair.” 

“ jaechan.” a voice calls out as jinyoung began to stand up to pull his chair towards the cabinet, “ what did i tell you about moving the furniture around.”

the voice is somewhat familiar - a bit deeper than he was used to but it was definitely jaebum’s. jinyoung freezes as he watches jaechan stick his tongue out at his older brother. 

“ hyung! it wasn’t me! jinyoung was the one who was pulling the chair out.”

“ well, jinyoung’s a guest. you shouldn’t make him do these things anyways.”

at his name being mention, jinyoung’s eyes dart towards jaebum - and he finds his words stuck in his throat. 

jaebum’s gotten taller in the last six weeks - the baby fat had thinned out leaving a lanky yet attractive boy in its place. jinyoung felt his cheeks burn as jaebum smiled at him, something about the grin causing the young boy’s heartbeat to quicken.

“ hey jinyoung. don’t just follow my brother’s orders okay ?”

any words that jinyoung could say was caught in his throat. and instead he quickly nodded his head and turned his attention back at his homework.

______________

_dear the parents of im jaebum_

_your son – im jaebum is excelling in all subjects of his schooling at the moment. he has high marks all around and seems to be very focused on his studies. he’s respected by his peers, which is evident when his classmates elected him for class president for their homeroom._

_though he has no problem with the curriculum – it’s my advice as his homeroom teacher that jaebum should work on his extracurricular activities, as his third year is fast approaching._  
______________

“ jinnnnnn,“ jaechan’s voice drawled into a whine - causing jinyoung to pull his phone away from his ear in disgust. “ please do this favor for me. my mom told me to bring jaebum hyung his lunch, but i’m caught up with class duties, please please, i’ll treat you later please.”

“ seriously chan ? why did you even volunteer for class duties ? it’s not your turn yet. “ 

“ minhee’s here, i just wanted to spend time with her. come on, i know you hate my brother but you just need to drop it off at the baseball field. just tell the manager it’s for jaebum. you don’t even need to talk to hyung.”

“ ugh fine. but you’re buying me beef.” 

______________

jinyoung’s steps were hesitant as he approached the locker room - the butterflies in his stomach threatening to overflow if the young boy was startled too suddenly. his mind amuck with the strain of a one sided love. 

“ sunbin-ssi.” 

jaebum’s voice rang through the empty area - startling jinyoung as he narrowly avoids dropping the lunch box. flustered by the sudden appearance of the older man, jinyoung takes a step back, concealing himself from view.

jaebum’s thin lips are forced into a straight line - his shoulders rigid as he takes a step back from the a girl who held a pink box towards him. 

“ sunbin-ssi, this is really sweet. i appreciate it but..” jaebum shakes his head, pausing for a moment. “ i can’t date anyone right now. it’s almost the entrance exam, i can’t afford to fall behind. “ 

the girl opens her mouth - and before she can continue jaebum’s eyes light up - catching jinyoung’s gaze from his hiding spot.

“ uh, sunbin-ssi i’m sorry but i have to go now. i promised my brother’s friend to walk him to cram school. i -” jaebum’s ears turn a bright pink, his eyes focusing on jinyoung as if gesturing for the younger boy to make an entrance. “ i have go. i’ll see you on monday..”

from his hiding spot, jinyoung’s palms began to sweat - a sense of dread filling his mind as jaebum runs towards him, “ jinyoung, hey is that my lunch ? did jaechan drag you to do this again ?” 

“ he had class duties today.” jinyoung whispered as his gaze fell to his shoes.

jaebum sighed, taking the lunch box from jinyoung’s hold before giving the younger a sympathetic smile, “ you shouldn’t do everything he says you know. i would have been fine without lunch.”

jinyoung pauses - and a scold leaves his lips before he could spare another thought. “ hyung. you shouldn’t skip any meals, that isn’t healthy.”

“ is that right ? well i’ll keep that in mind, jinyoung.”  
______________

_dear im jaebum,_

_congratulations on being accepted on yonsei’s college of law. down below is your to do list if you consider attending the university for the spring semester._  
______________

 

“ beom, i don’t think you should take up another job. tutoring takes enough time as it is.”  
jaebum sighed into the phone , flipping through the pages of his textbook as he shook his head. “ mom, don’t worry i’m fine. i promise my grades will stay as high as they were last semester, i just want to make some extra money so you can send jaechan to college in a few years.”

“ that’s not your job jaebum.” his mother’s tone was flat, and jaebum knew if he pushed forward on the subject it could easily go sour. “ you should be having fun in college, not worrying about paying your brother’s tuition. “

“ i am having fun. when was the last time i got to play the piano ? this job gives me the chance to.”

“ if you say so dear. but please remember to take care of yourself.”

“yes i will mom. anyways check your bank account, i sent some extra pocket money for jaechan. tell him to take jinyoung and himself out after midterms, they deserve it. “

 

______________

 

 _dear jaebum,_  


_you’ve only just entered the service, and I miss you dearly. your brother and sister are missing you as well, though chan won’t admit it. i can’t believe my oldest boy is already serving in the airforce. your father wishes he could be by your side now, the military is such an important part of a man’s life, and to go without your father is such a sad thing._  


_jaebum, your father should be returning home by your first leave, please try to come visit._

  
______________

 

“ chan, come on there’s a party at jennie’s house, we gotta go.” jinyoung whined, as he laid flat on his best friend’s bed. 

jaechan grunted glancing down at his phone before shaking his head, “ can’t, jaebum hyung’s being discharged today, mom wants a family dinner,“ he explained, before stretching his arms above his head. “ you can come too, i’m sure my mom won’t mind. “

 

jinyoung bit his lip, sitting up at the mention of jaebum’s name. the infatuation he had felt for jaebum throughout his teenage years had cooled, but there was still a tightness in his stomach whenever jaebum was mentioned. 

there was a sense of excitement crawling through his spine, it’s been years since jinyoung saw jaebum and this could be more interesting than another college party. 

“ i don’t mind, i miss your mom’s cooking. “


End file.
